Boat collision may have caused sperm whale beaching near Nelson

A beached sperm whale lies dead after washing up on Rabbit Island, near Nelson

A sperm whale which died after beaching on Rabbit Island near Nelson could have been hit by a boat, an expert suggests.

The whale was spotted swimming in Tasman Bay on Thursday and looked to be in poor health. Sperm whales were normally found in waters of 1000 metres or deeper, suggesting it was looking for a place to strand.

Otago University zoologist and researcher Liz Slooten said she was waiting on photos from a fellow researcher but had been told the whale may have injuries consistent with a collision with a boat.

BRADEN FASTIER

Abrasions on the dead whale.

She said the whale's behaviour in shallow waters the day before it was found indicated it was unwell and confused.

As Nuhaj pushed his kayak up onto the sand he could see the tail of the sperm whale sticking directly up from the sand. That's when he realised what he had found.

"I rang dad and said 'I caught the biggest fish of the day'," Nuhaj said.

BRADEN FASTIER

A dead sperm whale beached on Rabbit Island in the Nelson area on December 31.

He said it was an exciting but sad find to see the animal which was almost 15 metres in length.

The whale had gouged a hole in the sand with its tail, according to Nuhaj. "It looked like it had been struggling all night.

"It looked absolutely fine. It had been biting its mouth most of the night. You could see bits of blood around where the teeth would usually sit."

BRADEN FASTIER

The mouth of a dead sperm whale shows bleeding as it lay beached on Rabbit Island Beach.

He said there were other people further up the beach who were headed toward the whale soon after he left the beach.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) has been advised but had no comment to make on the beaching.

According to the DOC website Kaikoura is home to the main New Zealand population of sperm whales, including both resident and transient individuals. Adult sperm whales usually reach lengths of 11m-18m.